#173 - Big Trouble

Anduin smiled and nodded upon hearing this, curiously looking around. He noticed several wizards constantly peering at the captured Death Eaters. Their expressions changed drastically as if they had discovered something, and they quickly slipped into the fireplace on the right side of the hall, quietly leaving the scene.

Seeing this, Anduin smirked. 'So you've noticed, huh? Then hurry up and take action. Don't keep me waiting too long.'

Moody, oblivious to Anduin's expression, led him into the elevator and enthusiastically introduced the Ministry of Magic. 'We're currently on the eighth level below ground. Each floor above us is a different department.'

'Going up, the floors are: seventh floor, Department of Magical Games and Sports; sixth floor, Department of Magical Transportation; fifth floor, Department of International Magical Cooperation; fourth floor, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures; third floor, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes; and finally, our destination, the second floor, Department of Magical Law Enforcement.'

'If you're really planning to start a business with alchemical items in the future, remember to get a certificate from the Department of International Magical Cooperation in advance. All business transactions in the magical world must comply with the 'International Magical Trade Standards Code,' otherwise, it's considered smuggling, understand?' Moody kindly reminded him.

'Understood,' Anduin replied, nodding. He then asked curiously, 'Are the requirements for doing business in the wizarding world very complicated?'

'Actually, it's fine if the business is domestic, but cross-border business is quite troublesome. This is mainly to protect the interests of wizards in each country. The rules of each country's Ministry of Magic are different. Some places aren't as strict, but it's because Britain is too close to mainland Europe, and it's easy to be impacted by overseas goods.'

'Take magic carpets, for example. They're the primary flying equipment in many countries, and they've become popular here recently. But to protect our local broomstick industry, the sale of magic carpets is strictly controlled. You probably won't see them in a while.'

So that's how it is. They're afraid that a trade deficit will cause the loss of state assets? However, the British Ministry of Magic seems to be using a one-size-fits-all policy, directly banning it. He rarely sees foreign magical goods being sold domestically.

'Are there a lot of smugglers then?' Anduin suddenly thought of something and asked curiously.

'More than you can imagine. Our Aurors' main task used to be to cooperate with the Department of International Magical Cooperation and the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to combat smuggling. A large number of magical materials and magical creatures were smuggled abroad, and of course, many were smuggled into the country.' Moody spat with resentment. 'Many of these businesses involve pure-blood families, but we only catch small fry. Those big families are too good at keeping secrets, and it's difficult to collect evidence.'

Oh? It seems the value of this key in his hand might be greater than he imagined.

Subsequently, Anduin indirectly inquired about a lot of relevant information from Moody. Fortunately, Moody was in a good mood at this time and had a good impression of Anduin, so he shared a lot of inside information with him.

After taking the elevator to the second floor below ground, Moody first led him to a room that looked like a lounge, letting him rest there for a while. Moody had to imprison those Death Eaters first.

Given Anduin's prior reminder, Moody knew the value of these prisoners, especially Thorfinn Rowle. He had previously escaped conviction because of his Wizengamot member brother, but now that he was caught red-handed, his identity as a Death Eater was irrefutable.

And his brother had previously vouched for him. Now that the matter was exposed, it would be a huge scandal, inevitably sweeping away the prestige of the Travers family and even threatening his brother's position as a member of the Wizengamot.

Or rather, with Thorfinn, Minister Bagnold would have the opportunity to kick the Travers family out of the Wizengamot, and those who were closely related to the Travers family would also be restrained. This way, Minister Bagnold's policy of eliminating Death Eaters could be further advanced.

Moody had already made plans to personally guard and protect Thorfinn. He was a treasure now. Those guys, seeing that the situation was not good, might secretly poison him. He couldn't trust others to do it. Who knew if there were still lurking Death Eaters or Travers family spies in the Ministry of Magic.

'Rest well here. You must be exhausted. I'll remind them not to disturb you. Relax and get some sleep. If you need anything, just ask them. There's food and drink in the cabinet if you're hungry or thirsty. Come find me at the Auror headquarters when you feel better. I'll take you to see Minister Bagnold later.'

Originally, Anduin, as a war hero, should have been received immediately, but it was still early, and most of the Ministry of Magic employees hadn't started working yet. Moody saw that Anduin wasn't in good spirits, probably due to the excessive consumption of the previous battle, so he arranged for him to stay in the VIP lounge.

At the same time, Moody was busy dealing with those Death Eaters; he didn't dare let them out of his sight.

'Okay, I'll come find you if I need anything. Don't worry,' Anduin said with a smile.

After Moody left, Anduin finally couldn't help but stretch. The intense experiments of the night before had exhausted him.

'But now is not the time to rest.' He took out his pocket watch and looked at the time, smirking. 'There will be distinguished guests visiting later, but you don't have much time left. You have to seize it.'

Then, Anduin slightly tidied up his appearance with magic, walked to the nearby cabinet, poured himself a drink, added some ice cubes, and then leisurely reclined on the sofa without saying a word, as if waiting for someone.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Anduin had just refilled his drink when the door of the VIP room was knocked.

'They're here pretty quickly, less than half an hour.' Anduin pursed his lips and replied loudly, 'Come in.'

After receiving permission, a woman wearing pink overalls walked into the lounge, looking at Anduin with a smile that seemed very hypocritical to him.

'You must be Mr. Anduin Wilson. I am Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic. It's a pleasure to meet you.' Umbridge seemed very proud of her identity, raising her voice involuntarily when introducing herself.

'Likewise.' Anduin didn't even get up, took a sip of his drink, and said with a sneer.

'Oh, Anduin, do you mind if I call you that?' Umbridge was a little dissatisfied with Anduin's rudeness, but still smiled.

Anduin raised an eyebrow noncommittally, without answering.

'Anduin, I'm here to tell you, you've gotten yourself into big trouble!'